As most of you know, the inspiration and muse behind this blog was a sweet knuckleheaded and loving dog. It is with a broken heart I share that my dear precious boy passed away suddenly on Saturday. One minute he was his goofy self and the next minute he was gone. To say there is a huge empty place in my heart would be an understatement.
Sam was many things but foremost he was always a loving, devoted companion. He was my heart and soul dog. Making me happy along with hundreds of others was at the core of this special dog. He loved life and he loved making others smile and feel better, even if just for a brief moment. He did it with such charming panache and with an ever wagging tail that just never stopped moving. While he recently retired from his hospital visits, he never really stopped being a therapy dog, instead ministering loving affection to all he encountered, every waking moment, including me. He loved delighting patients and staff alike with his one and only trick…licking his chops on command, first on one side, then on the other.
The Ranch is a dimmer place now and we all need time to heal from this devastating loss and thus will be taking time away to grieve and adapt to the new decidedly, empty normal. I know that Sam would want you to pay extra attention to your own special pet in his memory. We never know when their time will be up so please make the most of the time you have, while it’s happening.
My sweet buddy
“Yosemite Sam”
October 7, 2005 ~ February 22, 2020
Welcome to Friday, the day we share some of the amazing sights nature provides us. As usual, we are joining our buddies, Rosy and her brothers from LLB in our Backyard for this week’s edition.
It’s been snowy and cold in the Mile High and I’m still trying to acclimate to an unusually snowy month. Normally January and February are the driest months of the year but this year January was unseasonably warm and February has been unseasonably wet. Let’s just say my body is still in tune with the climate of the Caribbean but I won’t torment you with more beach images, instead, let’s check out the local fauna of the region.
While cruising around the Gulf of Mexico, I saw a number of animals I was familiar with but others that were completely new to my eyes. From iguanas to sloths and a few other unusual critters, I was enchanted like a small child at the sheer number of the different varieties encountered.
This Scarlet Macaw (the national bird of Honduras) was surprisingly heavy when he sat on my head. Who knew parrots had that much heft to go along with that gorgeous plumage?
Two Capuchin monkeys, Pinky and Coco greeted our tour group and Pinky, obligingly climbed on board everyone’s shoulders. She was very sweet and we were told she enjoyed being stroked. Mostly I think she was waiting for pieces of fruit from her handler, Kevin, but hey, what do I know about what monkeys want/need. Normally I’m not into monkeys but Pinky proved to be quite charming.
I missed hearing what kind of animal this little guy was but he had such an adorable expression on his face, who could resist taking a photo of him/her.
We’re in for two days of nice temperatures (low 50’s) and the dogs and I plan to enjoy every single warm degree. Naturally it all comes to a screeching halt on Sunday when [yet] another snowstorm is forecast so we’ll see how the weekend morphs into next week. I know the Three Amigos of the Ranch will happily welcome more snow to mush through. We hope you have a ‘wagnificent’ weekend. Get out there and enjoy all the wondrous things that nature offers.
Has it really been two weeks since I was in beautiful Roatán? Where did the time go? Faced with another wintery day with cold temps and possibly more snow later today, I think a reminder of a warm day is in order. Anyone else with me?
What happened…did this troublemaking furry thief steal your weekend like he did ours? Guess Elsa has been falling down with her squirrel patrol duties.
Remember today is President’s Day, so no trips to the bank or post office, ‘kay? We hope today is pawsome and you are able to enjoy an extra day off.
Happy Valentine’s Day, peeps. It’s been a long time since V-Day fell on a Friday but that’s not keeping us from celebrating Nature Friday with our furiends, Rosy and her brothers from LLB in our Backyard for this week’s special Valentine’s edition of Nature Friday blog hop.
It was just one week ago I was cruising around the Western Caribbean. The biggest highlight was spending time on Isla Roatán, the largest of the Honduras’ Bay Islands, a 31-mile-long, 5-mile-wide swath of white sand and tropical forests 40 miles off the northern coast of Honduras that can tick all the boxes of visiting an island paradise. You want palm-fringed beaches? Check. Exotic animals? Check. Laid-back restaurants, tropical drinks, and freshly caught seafood? Got it! From the lively streets of the western end to the once pirate-infested coves of the beautiful eastern shores, Roatán offers a diverse array of things to see and do that will surely satisfy all your travel desires.
Roatán is known around the world for its scuba diving. The world’s second largest barrier reef (after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia) surrounds the island and is inhabited by schools of beautiful tropical fish, dolphins and snorkelers alike. When visiting Roatán you will see sea turtles, dolphins, and whales swim in that beautiful blue water.
Shipwreck, near Mahogany Bay
My family and I took a land and sea tour that showed off some of the most amazing sites throughout the island. The water was the clearest I’ve seen in the Caribbean.
Lots of tropical fish abound. Just out of view in the image below, dolphins were swimming with snorkelers.
One of the most memorable experiences was an unexpected trip to a preserve where our group was entertained by Betty the sloth, Pinky and Coco, the capuchin monkeys and other local animals. The most thrilling part of this side trip was we were actually in many of the enclosures with the animals. I never realized how incredibly sweet sloths were.
Betty, the Sloth
A multi-cultural paradise with three distinct influences dominate the isle (Spanish, Caribbean and Black). Although poverty is still a big issue, Roatá’s people were warm, welcoming and ever so proud to share their beautiful island with visitors. It was a day not likely to be forgotten any time soon and I would definitely go back if given the opportunity.
The young fellow in the orange shirt (upper left in photo) was one of the most knowledgable tour guides I’ve ever used. Personable and articulate, Joshua enhanced our group’s experience of his island home. He was extremely good natured with this older group (consisting of mostly female cougars tourists from Colorado, Texas, Kentucky and a charming couple from England).
Meanwhile back on the Tundra, I am recovering from a nasty coughing bug I picked up on the trip home. Snow has fallen four of the past five days and hasn’t made recovery come any time soon, and the furry nurses have barely left my side except to take raucous romps in the snow. Ever have a furry nurse take your temperature 75 times a day?
We all hope you have a lovely Valentine’s Day with all of your loved ones and also are able to seize an opportunity to enjoy some of the amazing vistas Mother Nature offers.
Clearly Mother Nature isn’t the only thing that’s been a little crazy lately. After having enjoyed mid 80ºF temp’s for the past 11 days on vacation, seeing images from home while away after the rodent’s so-called spring prediction has been…ahem…interesting to say the least. According to one news story, it was warmer this past week in Antarctica than it was in New Mexico.
From Groundhog Day this sunset from the neighborhood. Lovely, right?
To earlier from last week.
The mobile forecast on Sunday continued the cycle and it’s supposed to snow again beginning later this afternoon. The forecast is short and not so sweet, snow, snow, with more snow.
As you may recall, I’ve been vacationing with my mom, sisters and nieces in the Caribbean, there was little to next to no WiFi that allowed staying connected much, but tried to visit everyone as much as the Internet gods would permit. Rest assured, a lack of comment did not mean I didn’t swing by to read your posts. Hope all has been well in your ‘backyard.’
Elsa seems to understand the whole Groundhog Day thing. As in…never, ever trust a rodent. Happy Monday.
